Fisher Stadium
"Fisher" | |
 | |
 | |
| Former names | Fisher Field, Lafayette Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | 218 Hamilton Street Easton, Pennsylvania 18042 |
| Coordinates | 40°42′3″N 75°12′38″W / 40.70083°N 75.21056°W |
| Owner | Lafayette College |
| Operator | Lafayette College |
| Capacity | 13,132 |
| Record attendance | 21,000 vs. Lehigh, 1948 |
| Surface | FieldTurf (2006–Present) Natural grass (1926–2005) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | Summer 1925 |
| Opened | September 25, 1926 |
| Construction cost | $445,000 ($7.66 million in 2024 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Edwards-Dunn Co.[2] |
| Tenants | |
| Lafayette Leopards (NCAA) (1926–present) | |
The Fisher Stadium is a 13,132-seat multi-purpose stadium in Easton, Pennsylvania, United States. It opened in 1926 and it is home to the Lafayette College Leopards football team. Fisher Field, this past year, was voted the best gameday atmosphere in the Patriot League. A popular figure to Lafayette athletics is public-address announcer Jim Finnen. Finnen's silky smooth voice is famous, and just one of the many popular features of Fisher Field.
During 2006 and 2007 Fisher Field underwent a $23-million renovation. It reopened in time for the 2006 college football season complete with new seating, JumboTron, a new press box, FieldTurf, and field lighting. Construction of a Football Varsity House beyond the western endzone commenced in Fall 2006 and was completed before the 2007 season. The renovations have made the stadium one of the best venues in all NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
On September 1, 2007, Lafayette opened its season hosting the first ever night football game at Fisher Field. Lafayette throttled Marist College of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference 49-10.[3] The win was capped with a fireworks display.
Hosting the Easton-Phillipsburg game
Fisher Field at Fisher Stadium acts as neutral site for the traditional high school football rivalry between Easton Area High School and Phillipsburg High School. The 2006 edition was televised nationally on ESPN2 as part of the High School Showcase (it was the last Thanksgiving high school football game ESPN has aired to date). Easton won that game, 100th meeting of the two cross-state teams, 21-7.
History
Lafayette's Fisher Field at Fisher Stadium, where the College's home football games have been played since 1926, has undergone a major $23 million transformation. New spectator seating has been built throughout the venue, including chair back seating in select areas, and additional visitor seating has been added. A state-of-the-art FieldTurf surface, lights, and a press box have been installed, and improved restroom and vending areas were also included. A 19-by-35 foot video matrix board, located in the northwest corner of the stadium, provides the Lafayette Sports Network telecast of the game and also features premium "in-house" entertainment for Leopard fans.
The facility seats 13,132, with additional seating for 2,075 added for the Nov. 18 meeting with Lehigh, which raised the capacity to 15,207.
Erected in 1926, Fisher Field was named for Thomas Fisher, Lafayette College Class of 1888, who almost single-handedly raised the $445,000 needed for construction through fund-raising efforts and a sizable personal contribution.
The first football game played in the 18,000-seat structure came on September 25, 1926, with a 35-0 Leopard victory over Muhlenberg College.
Now entering its 72nd season, Fisher Field has been host to 343 Lafayette football games with the Leopards enjoying an overall record of 208 wins, 122 losses and 13 ties for a winning percentage of 62.5%. Of the previous 71 seasons, Lafayette has produced 12 undefeated home seasons with the most recent being the 1992 Patriot League champion Leopards that went a perfect 5-0—the first undefeated home season for Lafayette at Fisher Field since 1970. During the 1992 and 1993 seasons, Lafayette won 10 straight home games, tying the Fisher Field school record for consecutive wins first set by the 1926 and 1927 squads in the first 10 games ever played in the stadium.
In 1973, during the construction of Allan P. Kirby Field House, more than 4,500 seats were removed from the north stands to make room for the structure. Presently, Fisher Field has a permanent seating capacity of 13,750 (12,000 in the south stands and 1,750 in the north).
The Leopards posted their inaugural victory at Fisher Field at Fisher Stadium on Nov. 11, 2006, when Lafayette defeated Georgetown, 45-14. Lafayette wide receiver Joe Ort set the single-game school record with 274 yards receiving in that contest.
Many times, when Lafayette College is host for The Rivalry with Lehigh University every other year, more than 3,500 temporary seats are erected to accommodate the sellout crowd of 17,000. These temporary seats are left standing during the week for use at the Phillipsburg-Easton game. Thus the total number of seats for the high school football game vary from year to year.
Fisher Field has not hosted a Lafayette-Lehigh game since 2012. To commemorate the 150th edition of The Rivalry the 2014 contest, a Lafayette home game, was held at Yankee Stadium.
Criticism
Parking is traditionally a problem during games with high attendance, such as "The Rivalry", versus Lehigh University, due to the stadium being located on campus. There has also been criticism about the lack of restroom facilities on the away side of the stadium; however, with the extensive renovations in '06, that has become less of an issue.
References
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Stadium Work Progresses". The Lafayette. September 23, 1925.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Lafayette Leopards 2007 Gameday Central http://goleopards.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/lafa-fb-07-gameday.html